The Potions Master's Loud Thoughts
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: On Christmas Eve, Harry spends some time sitting beside the lake. He unintentionally listens to Severus Snape's loud thoughts, which lead to Harry's best Christmas present ever. Set in Harry's third Hogwarts year, completely AU, partly OOC, SS/LE


**The Potions Master's Loud Thoughts**

Harry blinked, seeing that it was already dark. A light at the other end of the room caught his attention, making him look around the hospital wing, which was completely empty except for himself since most of the students had returned home for Christmas the day before. '_Oh, this is beautiful_,' he mused as he got a glance at the warm light of the full moon streaming into the huge windows.

Confirming that the Mediwitch was nowhere in sight, Harry silently scrambled out of his bed and headed over to the window, noticing how beautiful the light of the huge moon played on the partly frozen lake. '_I'd love to take a small walk around the lake_,' he mused in spite of knowing that Madam Pomfrey had placed him under absolute bed rest since his friends had taken him to her with an inflammation of the middle ear and a high fever the day before just before they left for the holidays. Nevertheless, the lake in the moon light looked too inviting to resist, and Harry pulled his wand out from under his pillow, throwing a warming spell on his robes, which he put over the hospital pyjamas. Although it was still before curfew, which probably wouldn't apply on Christmas Eve anyway, he covered himself with the invisibility cloak, which he always carried with him, before he silently left the hospital wing and headed out to the lake.

Noticing that the small walk had tired him out completely, Harry let himself sink onto a bench right next to the lake and proceeded to watch the Giant Squid play in the moon light.

All of a sudden, a long shadow appeared at his side, and Harry nearly choked in shock when none other than Severus Snape, his most hated teacher, sat down on the bench, not more than a metre from Harry.

'_I thought he'd spend his evening brewing potions and not sitting beside the lake_,' Harry mused, terrified at the thought what would happen if the Potions Master noticed him. '_Well, maybe he doesn't know that I'm supposed to be in the hospital wing, but he'd certainly search for an excuse to get me expelled_.'

However, suddenly the teacher pulled a photograph out of his robe pocket, holding it in front of him, before he began to whisper, "Oh Lily, why didn't you tell me? It was only last week that Albus sent me to check your old house, because everyone is searching for Black, who recently escaped from Azkaban, and Albus thought he might be a dunderhead enough to hide at your house after selling you to the Dark Lord."

Harry tried hard not to move and to breathe silently so Snape wouldn't notice him listening. '_Is he speaking to MY mother?_' he thought incredulously. '_What did he have to do with Mum?_'

Snape brought his right hand to his head, moving an errand strand of black hair from his forehead, before he continued to speak quietly to the photograph in the same silky voice, "Only then I found the Pensieve and brought it with me, hoping to find memories of you and me. I still can't believe it. How differently would I've behaved if I'd only known, and now it's too late. He hates me too much, because I was a real bastard all these years. I'm sorry, Lils, but every little glance into his eyes multiplies my grief for you tenfold."

The woman on the picture was smiling at him and gently waving her hand, causing Harry to muse, '_She was beautiful_.' Throwing a glance in the Potion Master's face, he noticed that there was a bright spot twinkling on his cheek in the moon light. '_Is that a tear? How strange_,' Harry thought. '_Normally, he doesn't show any emotions at all. Well, he thinks that he's alone here_,' suddenly realization set in, causing him to feel bad to be listening to his teacher's secret talk with his mother.

"Lily, please tell me why nobody told me even after your death?" Snape continued in a pleading voice, obviously trying to find an answer to something. "You must have magically prolonged your pregnancy; otherwise nobody would have believed him to be Potter's kid."

Harry nearly choked. '_WHAT?_' he thought horrified. '_That can't mean what I think it means, can it?_'

Suddenly, a howl like from a wolf could be heard from far away in the forest. The Potions Master looked around startled, before he calmed down and continued his single-sided conversation. "I don't know what to do, Lily. On one hand I want him to know that he's mine, even if I don't care if anyone else knows. Didn't you even tell Albus or Minerva, who knew that we were married for two years? On the other hand, he's already thirteen and hates me. He'd never accept me if I told him, 'Hey Potter, sorry how I behaved, I'm your Dad.' Lily, please speak to me. Tell me what to do," he begged his former best friend.

Harry heard that the man's voice was cracking as if he couldn't hold back his unshed tears anymore. '_He is my father?_' he thought in absolute disbelief, noticing terrified that the blank faced Potions Master, who usually seemed to be totally unable to show any emotion, broke out into tears and sat there, putting his left hand that was holding Lily's photograph up to his head, sobbing uncontrollably.

For a few minutes, Harry watched in silence as the Giant Squid quietly swam through the further away part of the lake, obviously noticing that this part of the lake wasn't a place to play at the moment.

He pondered if he should try to quietly leave since the professor seemed to be preoccupied enough not to notice him. However, he couldn't help feel sorry for the man. '_Is he really my father?_' he mused, realizing that the thought became more appealing as the minutes passed. '_I always wanted a family. If he is my parent..._'

"Father?" he whispered hesitantly, observing how the man looked up disbelievingly.

"Am I getting delirious?" Snape then muttered to himself. "Nobody except for one could call me that and he certainly wouldn't do so, even if he wasn't in the hospital right now."

Harry hesitantly extended a hand from under the invisibility cloak, slightly touching his father's arm. "I'm right here," he whispered, causing the man to jump startled. "Is it really true? Are you my father?"

"Potter? Is that you? Could you please reveal yourself?" Snape countered, glancing in Harry's direction.

Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off, shivering as the cold air hit his face.

"According to your mother and my own memories, which I received back from her Pensieve, it is indeed true," the Potions Master replied in a soft voice that held no malice. "I only need one drop of your blood to prove that it's true."

"Would you like to check it out right away?" Harry queried softly, glancing up into the obsidian eyes in front of him.

"If that would be agreeable with you," Snape returned thoughtfully.

"That's fine, provided that you don't mind me hiding under my cloak again," Harry said hesitantly, causing the man to frown.

"Breaking the rules again?" the professor smirked, before his expression became stern. "What are you doing outside in the cold, although Madam Pomfrey told you to remain in bed anyway?"

"The moon light was so inviting that I couldn't resist," Harry admitted in a small voice. "I only sat here for two minutes when you joined me."

"Very well, let's go," Snape decided, and the two wizards headed to the deserted Potions classroom. "Sit down and wait a moment," the teacher ordered the boy, fetching a phial from his office. "This potion will turn green in case we're related, blue if we have a parental relationship, or pink if we're not related at all," he explained patiently, before he magically added a drop of each of their blood.

Harry watched excitedly how the potion turned dark blue. "You're my father," he stated, torn between shock and delight at this revelation.

"Yes... son."

Both of them remained silent for a few minutes, before Harry finally said, "I should go back to the hospital wing, before Madam Pomfrey misses me."

"You could stay here in case you want to try out to be my son," Snape offered hesitantly. "We just had to tell the Headmaster, but as my child nobody can forbid you to stay in my quarters. Maybe we could try it out over the holidays."

"I'd like that very much. I've always wished I had a family or at least a living parent," Harry replied slowly. "Thank you for accepting me as your son, although I still can't believe it. I'm glad that I broke the rules and listened to your conversation with my mum," he added, smirking, causing the Potions Master to snort.

"I'm glad too, Harry," he replied in his soft, silky voice.

'_If I still believed in Father Christmas, I'd write him a letter thanking him for the best Christmas present ever_,' Harry mused, feeling happier than ever before.

**The End**

_

* * *

_

_Merry Christmas to all of my readers!_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


End file.
